149: Shelby Stanger/Chronicler

My ‘lifer’ episodes are always among the most popular instalments, and this conversation with podcaster and journalist Shelby Stanger is a classic of the genre. It’s also particularly fascinating for me because, as I realised during our conversation, our careers are actually really, really similar – from the circumstances that got us into the industry, to our progress through it, and to the way we ended up laughing our own podcasts at around the same time. Given how niche our careers are, I found it to be an intriguing coincidence.

As fellow members of the unofficial action sports podcaster union, Shelby and I have been internet pals for a couple of years now. It’s a small world this industry, so you tend to end up knowing each other. And from the beginning, when she went out of her way to give me some extremely useful and savvy advice, I could tell she was a total legend.

Shelby Stanger, February 2021. Photo: Tozer

So in February 2021, we sat down to unravel the story of Shelby’s life and career. And what a tale it is. As you’ll expect if you’ve listened to Shelby’s show’s Wild Ideas Worth Living and Vitamin Joy, this is a top yarn with an expert, empathetic storyteller. These are my favourite episodes of the show, where I can tell we’re on safe hands, and the overall vibe is relaxed and expansive.  My thanks to Shelby to coming on the show, and for such a warm, insightful conversation. Hope you enjoy it. Listen to the episode below: